In this article

Rootkits

08/17/2018

2 minutes to read

Contributors

In this article

Malware authors use rootkits to hide malware on your device, allowing malware to persist as long as possible. A successful rootkit can potentially remain in place for years if it is undetected. During this time it will steal information and resources.

How rootkits work

Rootkits intercept and change standard operating system processes. After a rootkit infects a device, you can’t trust any information that device reports about itself.

For example, if you were to ask a device to list all of the programs that are running, the rootkit might stealthily remove any programs it doesn’t want you to know about. Rootkits are all about hiding things. They want to hide both themselves and their malicious activity on a device.

Many modern malware families use rootkits to try and avoid detection and removal, including:

What if I think I have a rootkit on my device?

Microsoft security software includes a number of technologies designed specifically to remove rootkits. If you think you might have a rootkit on your device and your antimalware software isn’t detecting it, you might need an extra tool that lets you boot to a known trusted environment.

Windows Defender Offline can be launched from Windows Security Center and has the latest anti-malware updates from Microsoft. It’s designed to be used on devices that aren't working correctly due to a possible malware infection.

System Guard in Windows 10 protects against rootkits and threats that impact system integrity.

What if I can’t remove a rootkit?

If the problem persists, we strongly recommend reinstalling the operating system and security software. You should then restore your data from a backup.

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